Gateway National Recreation Area - New York

Address:Staten Island, New York

This incredible network of parks is made up of four distinct and separate units located in three of the five New York City boroughs and in northern New Jersey as well.
The Jamaica Bay Unit is a tidal estuary on the south part of Brooklyn and in Queens. This site is extremely popular for fishing, biking, nature-viewing, and boating. Jamaica Bay also plays host to an impressive wildlife refuge. Other major attractions include the historic Floyd Bennett Field and Plum Beach.
The Breezy Point Unit, located in Queens, protects the area's remaining sand dunes and provides sanctuary for a plethora of wildlife including the piping plover and the beach tiger beetle, both of which are endangered.
The Staten Island Unit features several historical structures, Miller Field (an old airfield) as well as Great Kills Park. Boating is a major activity.
Finally, there is the barrier peninsula Sandy Hook, the pristine, famous New Jersey installment of the Gateway National Park Recreation Area. Sandy Hook is home to the historic former Fort Hancock, the only nude bathing area in the National Parks system, and the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse in America (since 1764). Fishing, swimming, and sunbathing are very popular on the peninsula.

Gateway NRA is a 26,000 acre recreation area located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area. The park extends through three New York City boroughs and into northern New Jersey. Park sites offer a variety of recreation opportunities, along with a chance to explore many significant cultural and natural resources.